A needle and thread
by EmpirePlanet95
Summary: The mansion had simply been one of the many shelters that housed him when he and his father had no where to go. An orphanage; a temporary haven; a vague two months of Will's childhood that was now nothing more than a left-behind memory. Years later, it's his home again, permanently this time. Not because he didn't want to leave. But because what he left behind won't let him. AU


Based on the doujin by SeniorPotato under the same title! It's really good so I'd suggest reading the comic

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Will had been terrified the first time he cast eyes on the place. "An orphanage," his father had called it. A place for children who had no place to go went to.

_Why are we here then, dad? I've got you to go to, don't I?_

_…you won't leave me here, will you?_

His father had laughed at his fears, soothing him that no, he wasn't going to leave Will here. That it was only a temporary arrangement. Just as soon as he got a job, they'd find someplace nicer: a place to call home just for the two of them.

_Soon_, he promised.

But whether they'd leave sooner than later did nothing to quell the boy's fears. He could hear the laughter of witches in the creaking of the wood; the ghosts behind the gleam of the windows. Will didn't want to leave this place 'soon'. He didn't want to enter it at all.

_Don't worry, Will. Nothing bad is going to happen here._

And Will supposed, nothing bad did happen. He met a friend. Behind the wall where the whispers called to him, he met Hannibal. And for a good few months, he was happy.

But just as dad said, _it was only temporary._

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Will squeezed himself into the crawl hole, ignoring the dirt that stuck to his pants. He needed to hurry, dad would be looking for him soon. They were leaving. _Today. _That gave Will no time at all to say goodbye.

And he needed to say it, Hannibal wouldn't like it if he didn't. Well, Hannibal wouldn't be happy with him leaving at all but it was better than going without saying _anything._ Will couldn't stand imagining Hannibal waiting for him to visit, never knowing that Will wouldn't ever be coming again. It would be rude. And if their time together taught him anything, Will knew Hannibal didn't like rude people very much. Rude people were _bad._

The child burst through the other side of the tunnel to find his friend patiently wait for him. Calm and smiling as he always been. It was almost just like any other day Will would visit. They'd talk, have fun, do things together that always left Will red and laughing. Then they'd tell each other 'see you next time' - never goodbye.

But not this time. Will was leaving. He was here to say goodbye.

"Will?" Hannibal inquired against the boy's silence. "Will, you've been acting strange lately. Are you okay?" He smiled again when Will reached up towards him, tugging his arm and gesturing for Hannibal to lean down. A small kiss of greeting, right on his lips. A show of affection that Will's father had described as 'a token to give only to those you love the most.' However, Will pulled back much more quickly than usual, and Hannibal was silent, waiting for Will to act next.

"Bye bye," a murmur, almost silent on the boy's lip. Then he was gone. But his voice echoed in the darkness, vibrations shaking through Hannibal's being.

Bye Bye Bye By—

Bye Bye Bye

"Will?" Hannibal lunged towards the crawl space where Will's presence still warmed. "Will? Where are you going? Come back? Will?"

The shuffles of the boy were getting farther; more frantic with every drag of dirt against fabric. Faster. Will was trying to leave him faster. Hannibal could smell the child's fear - acrid and sour.

WILL? will? WILL?

WHY?

Why—

—are you scared?

CoME BaCk.

_(I won't hurt you.)_

COmE BACK.

NOW.

Come BAck hERe THiS InStaNT.

_(And I will forgive you.)_

Hannibal dove through the crawl space, following after the boy's scent through the dirt. William was just ahead of him, just a little more and he could reach him. He could feel the boy's heat just metres away.

_click._

A lock. The door was locked. William shut him in.

WiLLIam WhAT ArE You DOING?

OPEN THE DOOR.

There was a shuffle of movement from beyond the wood. _William? _The volume of steps softened until it was gone. _No._

DON'T.

WILLIAM.

DON'T.

GO.

"WILLIAM DON'T LEAVE ME!" A scream that shook the dust off the ceiling. A screech that no one but the two could hear.

Hannibal scratched at the door - desperately - the wood scoring under his claws. He scraped harder, trying to get through the accursed exit. But it would not collapse. It would not give. He smashed his fist against it. Again and again and again and again. Screaming for William, _don't leave me no no no no no noooo._ There was no answer to his screams.

But maybe William was still there, Hannibal thought. He extended his claws under the door space. Maybe he could touch him. His nails screeched against the polished wood. No William. He was -

-_gone._

Left him. Broke the promise that'd they be together. Forever and ever and ever.

No. It CAN'T Be.

"Will?" A final inquiry. A hope, that even out of his reach, William would hear. He'd turn back and open the door again and Hannibal would grab the boy and never let go. No one would take his William away from him. Because Will was his.

HIS. HANNIBAL'S.

Will knew that. Will was a good boy.

That's why he'd come back. He'd stay with Hannibal.

Hannibal scratched and clawed at the door.

William never opened it.

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"Hey there, Will? Are you ready to go?"

William clung to his father's leg, clutching the fabric like a lifeline. He felt himself lifted up as the adult's face regarded him with concern. Tears were streaming down the boy's face as Hannibal's shouts and screams still echoed in his ears.

"C'mere, little man. Why are you crying?"

The child sniffled, his grip on his father's collar tightening. "Do we have to go dad?" A final ditch attempt to change his dad's mind. So that maybe, maybe, just maybe he could go back to Hannibal.

"I got a job in another town, so we have to…"

Will nodded, wiping his tears in his dad's shirt. "Ok," he murmurs. A defeated tone.

The boy snuggled closer to the adult's body, taking in the warmth and trying to put Hannibal's anger and despair away from his mind. "How did your friend take the news - the one in the wall?"

"I think he hates me," Will confides, voice soft as if saying it any louder would make the reality of it that much closer.

"Aw, don't say that sport. You're too cute to hate," is his father's joking response. It's a joke that only has Will sniffling harder. "Don't worry, Will. He'll forgive you for leaving. Maybe one day you'll see him again."

Will snuggles even closer, throwing his arms around the whole of the man's neck to keep himself steady as they left. He took a last glance at the house, its creaks and shadows still as foreboding as it was two months prior. Will ends the conversation with three words as his father's feet leave the property.

"I hope so," he whispers.

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Critiques on writing are loved!


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